


you can't name a dog after someone who's dead

by CountessKlair



Series: Power Color Squad Stories [2]
Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: A whole lot of em, F/F, Feels, Gen, M/M, Ranger Team Bonding, Team Feels, Team Fluff, Team as Family, Trini and Zack centric, also a dog, no actual dying happens, only a mention of the death thing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 09:41:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,642
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11205399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CountessKlair/pseuds/CountessKlair
Summary: In which the Rangers have a heart to heart with Trini and Zack, and they also get a dog.





	you can't name a dog after someone who's dead

“Hey, guys, sorry I’m late, I-” I raised an eyebrow at my friends. “Uh, what’s up with this?”

Billy, Kim, and Zack were sitting in a semicircle near the Wall, where Zordon and Alpha 5 were arguing so intently about something that they didn’t even see me come in.

Billy glanced over at me and waved in greeting, his eyes lighting up a bit and a bright grin crossing his face.

I waved back, a stupid dopey smile stretching across my mouth, shuffling my feet around the weird fluttery feeling in my gut.

Kim held a finger up to her lips and motioned me over, her eyes never leaving the back and forth between Zordon and Alpha 5.

I sat down between Kim and Billy, and as the argument grew slightly louder, Kim leaned over, murmuring underneath their voices, “They can’t agree on whether or not Zordon had a pet Velociraptor back in the day.”

“That’s what they’re arguing about?” I scoffed softly.

Kim nodded and chuckled under her breath.

Zordon insisted, “The creature came when called, and responded to their name-”

Alpha 5 put their hands on their hips. “It did not come when called, it came when it was time for dinner, and the name was stupid, anyway.”

“How dare you, Zuzu was a fine name for them!” Zordon’s face loomed out over the much smaller robot, the whole Wall glowing a soft red.

As Alpha 5 reared back to retort, Kim whispered, thoroughly amused, “Do you think they’ll argue long enough that they forget about training for the day?”

Zack, out of the corner of his mouth, whispered back, “That’s the plan.”

I stifled my grin, turning back to Zordon and Alpha 5 but my gaze getting caught, as it so often did, on Billy.

He was sitting a little nearer to Zordon, his face tilted up and smiling sweetly at Zordon and Alpha 5's antics.

As I was watching he looked over at me, my heart leaping in my chest as I reflexively smiled back at him.

I opened my mouth, an awkward smile curving over my face. “So-”

**_“JASON!”_ **

And everything else in the whole world went into soft gray and faded away.

I was up and running toward the scream, heart pounding and armor forming on my flesh before I consciously knew what I was doing, and I knew that the others were not far behind me.

Every thought bouncing around in my head vanished, every sensation or sense of approach was long gone, and I was focusing on nothing but getting to that scream fast, faster, faster, _faster_ , because that was Trini’s voice that screamed.

That was Trini.

It had definitely been Trini and Trini was always ok, but she didn't sound ok now, and that alone was terrifying.

_It was Trini it was Trini it was Trini it was Trini it was Trini it was Trini it was Trini Trini Trini Trini_

I sprinted as fast as my body was able towards the direction of the scream and pushed harder still because it wasn’t enough, my heart pounding and blood rushing wildly, all the way to the back entrance of the cave systems, the only one that wasn't a water entrance, and I found Trini standing there, too still to be normal and holding a large bloody dog close to her small body.

I couldn’t see any injuries on her, _thank god thank god thank god thank god_ , but the set of her shoulders and the strange way she held her head still scared me.

I caught myself a few steps away from Trini, reminding myself that she might need space and she definitely needed me calm.

She looked up and met my gaze and I felt my insides twist and freeze.

I knew that look in her eyes, too similar to the way she’d looked on the pier after Rita held up her scepter and shot it at-

_Billy, he’s dead he’s dead he’s dead_

I shoved the memory down and turned to the others, who had also morphed and were standing behind me, Kim in particular tilting back and forth like she couldn’t decide what she should do.

I lifted a hand at them, whispered, “I’ve got it.”

In turn, they nodded and took a step back.

The panic did not fade from my head, a constant stream of _Trini’s hurt she’s hurt she’s hurt_ and _he’s dead he’s dead he’s dead_ combining in my head for a sickening combination.

I didn’t have time for it because Trini needed me, so I let the armor fade away, and I shoved the thoughts in my head as far back as I could.

I turned back around to face Trini, and I greeted her softly, “Hey Trini.”

Trini's grip of the unconscious animal tightened, and she replied, awkwardly blank, “He's hurt.”

Her voice had none of its usual lilt, none of the spark of mischief, had none of Trini in it.

I kept my voice calm and low as I nodded. “Ok, alright, that's no problem. Alpha 5 can take him to the med room and fix him up, can't you, Alpha 5?”

The small robot peeked around my leg, voice matching mine in tone and volume. “Of course.”

Trini looked between the two of us, dulled confusion on her face as her eyebrows drew in together and her mouth tightened, and she did not move, she looked between us and the dog in her arms and stayed where she was.

_Wrong, you’re doing it wrong, you’re always wrong!_

I shoved my thoughts away and focused back on Trini and the practically palpable silence. As gently as I was able, I asked, “Do you want me to take him?”

Trini jerked backward and hugged the dog closer, a streak of terror crossing her face, her shoulders rising and falling a bit faster and a distressed sound came from her, as Kim made a matching sound behind me.

“Okay, that's alright,” I soothed, my hands lifted in a calming manner. “That's okay, you can carry him if you want.”

Trini relaxed a little, though that wild fear settled deep into the way she held herself, her eyes darting quickly between the five of us like she couldn't decide what she wanted to do and filling quickly with unshed tears.

After a moment, she pleaded, confused and her voice cracking, “Jason?”

And that’s when I knew how shaken Trini was, because she was my second in command, she was invulnerable, she had never shown anything even related to vulnerability like this before, she was the most stable of us all, she was the fiercest and the toughest, and Trini was never like this. She never looked small like that.

I forced myself to speak around the lump in my throat and the clouding of my eyes, “Can I come closer?” I waited for her answer, stepping forward when she nodded. “Do you want us all to walk with you and Alpha 5 to the med room?”

She nodded immediately, a soft release of breath coming from her, and I approached her carefully, watching her intently for the first sign of discomfort. She let me wrap my arm around her back, my hand settling lightly on her shoulder and I swore it was cold with fear even through her hoodie. As my hand touched down on her, Trini let loose a stuttering breath and pushed backward into the touch.

Now that I was closer to her and the dog, I could see it was a big grey animal of uncertain breed, and it was whining very very softly, shaking against Trini’s chest.

I looked up at the others, who had abandoned their armor, and at my nod, they immediately, slowly, moved to the side to let us pass.

I could almost hear Billy murmuring to himself the way he did when tensions were high like this, and I could hear Kim trying to cry as silently as possible, and I knew, I knew that Zack was thrown completely off kilter. Because as much as Zack liked to pretend to be somewhat aloof and unflappable, his heart was too kind and too goddamn broken to be immune to any of us hurting, much less Trini, who he relied on for strength, and vice versa.

I wondered if it was normal for a Red Ranger to feel as if they wanted to take on the whole goddamn world and fight everyone and everything in it just on the simple possibility that one of the other Rangers would be spared pain.

Because they had all been through so much, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that, despite whatever Zordon and Alpha 5 said, I wasn’t the leader any of them needed. I already knew after what happened with Rita and Billy, _he’s dead he’s dead he’s dead_ , that I was far from the leader they deserved.

The dog in Trini’s arms shifted and yelped loudly, and Trini jumped a little.

“Hey, hey, it’s ok,” I soothed. “He’s gonna be just fine.”

She didn’t respond.

Keeping as soft a tone as I could manage I prompted, “Okay, Trini, let's go.”

I could feel her trembling underneath my hand the entire walk to the med room, I could feel the intensity in the air creeping into a panic for the other Rangers even as they kept their distance and their silence.

This was the worst part about being a Ranger, and if I was honest also the best part I wouldn’t trade in a million years. We all loved each other so much, and so when something happened that fucked one of us up, it fucked up everyone else too, because we relied on each other for strength. We relied on each other for everything.

Kim loved us all but she loved Trini in a way none of the rest of us did even if she had refused to do anything about it yet. Kim, who had been a cheerleader her whole life learning about teamwork, had never understood it until becoming a Ranger, where it was like she could take one look at each of us and understand perfectly what was going on. There was no hiding or keeping secrets from Kim.

Trini was quietly, viciously fond of each and every one of us, and she always chose to express that through touch and actions, and the thought had often crossed my mind that Trini, who never ever spoke about her home life after the first bonfire, might be touch starved. And even though she didn’t say a whole lot, she had fewer problems expressing herself when it came to Kim.

Zack was often the rock of the entire group in situations like this because he knew the most about how to care for people, because even though he least deserved it, Zack had been through so fucking much. Zack threw himself full force into whatever he was doing, and Zack loved us all so much we knew he would gladly do whatever it took, _whatever it took_ , to make it better.

And Billy couldn't stand it when any of us were hurting, he was our heart and soul, and he loved so much his heart had to have been a thousand times larger than his brilliant brain, which also meant he felt any hurt in himself or us extremely deeply. Billy struggled often with feeling like he was doing _enough_ , with us and for us, and we had all told him that he himself alone was enough.

Because that’s the way it worked. We loved each other we needed each other, we relied on each other. And that’s why it was the worst part, because whenever one of us was fucked up, we all were, but it was also one of the best things because it meant that we were all there, and we were all together, and we were so fucking loved by one another.

I glanced behind me to where Zack was holding one of Kim’s hands, his eyes too wide, while Kim cried silently, Billy solemn and his movements too stilted.

I turned back towards Trini, whose face still shone with tear tracks and flecks of blood and dirt.

I just really fucking hated it when any one of them was upset, and I hated it even more when there wasn't an obvious physical, volatile solution to the problem. Because in the end, that’s all I felt I was good for, putting myself between my team and what threatened them. I hadn’t meant it lightly when I said I’d die for any one of the Rangers, and I didn’t think they had meant it lightly either.

But there was no amount of pain, suffering, tragedy or torture I would not take for any of them.

Unfortunately for them, that wasn’t all a leader had to do. I had proved myself clumsy in my position with Rita, but the months following had been disastrous, in my opinion.

Learning how to be a leader was a hard fucking job, especially when you didn’t know jack shit about anything the people you were leading had been through. All of our backgrounds were so fundamentally different, and despite the fact that we loved each other enough to die for one another, it was a learning process to live around one another. And because of the vast differences in backgrounds, there’d come a few times when we’d go out in public and suddenly it would become crystal clear how differently the world viewed us all, and how because I was white, that meant to the world that I was somehow better than them.

When that was so far from the case. It had been awful to have my eyes opened like that to the world and it’s ways of treating the people I loved more than anything else in the world, to keep a fear in my heart every time I heard a police siren when I was with Billy and think of all the boys his age who were gonna forever be his age. Zordon had told me that the world was cruel, but my job was to protect my team, so I tried to learn how to wield my privilege to help them, which opened up infinite windows into the way the most important people in my life were in danger every single goddamn day, even sometimes from my own parents, from other adults I had looked up to. Which was all hard to accept, to unlearn habits and ideas beat into me from birth, but harder still for them to have to teach me.

I knew after Rita that I’d never be able to do anything to be as good as they deserved, and I stood by that, but there was no way in heaven, earth or hell that I wouldn’t do everything I could for them. And the physical stuff was easy, slapping bullies and correcting, sometimes forcibly, other people’s behavior. But learning how to be emotionally available and take silent cues for what they need from me in times of distress that weren’t solved by me diving headfirst into a fistfight? That was the hardest thing I'd ever done. Learning how to lead the Rangers meant learning how to feel, how to respect boundaries and ideas, how to accept weakness in them and in me. It was unheard of to me.

Nothing about the way I was raised, with the running commentary from my father about weakness and the comparison of weakness to emotion from my peers, was well suited to this way of thinking. I’d realized I’d grown up apathetic and angry because of it. Difficult to discipline, to control, as my dad put it. Typical toxic masculinity, as Zack and Trini put it.

I didn't really know what to say or do but I would always do whatever I could, be whatever they needed me to be, cause they did the same for me. And I’d be fucking damned if I hurt them with that toxic bullshit the way I had been.

So I kept my touch on Trini light but present, close, but not too close. I let her keep control of the distance and our pace. As we went into the med room, Alpha 5 turned to Trini, obviously hesitant on how she wanted to proceed.

I leaned a little into Trini's space, murmuring, “Alpha 5 is gonna take him now, Trini.”

She shook violently, just once.

I rubbed my thumb in a soothing circle on her shoulder. “It's okay. Alpha 5 can take care of him.” I used my other hand to touch her elbow, gently. “It's okay, Trini. You can put him down on the table.”

Slowly, very slowly, Trini bent down, laying the dog down as gently as possible. I bit my tongue over a cry of shock at the blood that stained her shirt, shaking my head minutely at Alpha 5, who nodded once and went to attend to the dog.

I shoved down the screaming of _blood blood blood blood blood blood blood blood._

I watched Trini's hands start shaking as Alpha 5 pulled out the equipment.

Gingerly, I turned Trini around and walked her out of the med room, one hand on her shoulder, the other on her elbow.

Once we were outside the room, I went to let go of her, but as my grip loosened, she spun around to face me, eyes blowing wide with panic and uncertainty, her breath coming faster.

“Jason?”

Her hands hovered between us, her eyes going glassy with fresh tears.

And then it was the easiest thing in the world to say softly, “I'm here, Trini,” and pull her into a hug, wrapping one hand around her back while the other came up to cup the back of her neck and tuck her face under my chin.

Her vice-grip on her emotions broke, and her body sagged against me, she curled both arms tightly around me and started to openly sob into my skin.

With a deft movement, I swept up her legs and sat down against the wall of the ship, settling her across my lap. Trini had never cried in front of us before, but she seemed to need this, and I knew she wouldn't hesitate in telling me what wasn't okay. And I would not let myself drive her away or make her uncomfortable for being vulnerable in front of us.

So I sat with her, wrapped both arms around her back as she cried, the others sitting down around us, Kim sitting close against my right side, her head on my shoulder so her lips pressed into Trini's hair, Zack sitting cross-legged and facing me on my left, picking up Trini's feet and putting them in his lap, playing absentmindedly with her laces and not looking at anyone. Billy sat down near my feet, playing with the fidgeter Trini got him last week for our 'Ranger-Versary'.

And I rubbed circles into Trini’s hip and pressed kisses into her hair and let my own tears fall.

We sat there together for an hour or so, Trini's sobs fading slowly into sniffs and sighs, and though one of her arms still held on to the front of my jacket, her fingers playing with the string of my hood, her other hand had found its way into Kim's. Kim was leaning heavily against me too, humming something faintly. Zack had been tying and untying Trini's shoelaces in new and more complicated knots, occasionally leaning over to watch Billy as he fiddled with something that was probably highly complicated and brilliant and wonderful.

It was Billy, everything he touched turned to gold.

Trini sniffled a little, her voice quiet as a church mouse when she said, “I'm sorry.”

I squeezed her, gently. “Nothing to be sorry for.”

She relaxed a little. “I meant about getting snot on you.”

I sighed dramatically. “Perils of being in charge.”

“Like fucking hell are you in charge of me, Red.” Trini's voice was a little stronger now, some of that fire peeking back in.

Zack, tangling his fingers in the laces of Trini's combat boots, asked softly, “You gonna tell us what happened?”

Trini froze up for a second, found rigid against me, and I opened my mouth to move the conversation along when Trini nodded.

“Yeah. I am. It's just...a little weird, I guess.”

She sighed deeply, her shoulder blades digging into my chest a bit. “I was on my way here when I went to go drop off some food for this mutt that lives around here.”

Billy cocked his head. “Is the dog here that mutt or a different one?”

“Nah, it’s the same one. I’ve been feeding him for a while now. I would have taken him home, but my mom-” Trini’s whole body tensed up before she cleared her throat and pushed on. “I was pretty near the cave entrance when all of a sudden a cougar jumped out at me.”

Kim’s hand clenched down hard on my elbow, her nails biting deep into my skin, but I bit my tongue as Zack exclaimed, voice high with confused, delayed fear, “A fucking cougar? You fought off a _cougar_?”

Trini shook her head. “Not alone, the fucking dog helped. The cougar got like, one swipe in before I got my armor on, and all of a sudden here comes this loud baying sound from my right and the dog just jumps up and starts in on the cougar.”

Trini’s fingers tightened on my hoodie.

She swallowed hard, her voice thick as she said, “I mean, I jumped in pretty quick and the cougar ran away, but he seemed to have hit the dog pretty hard, and I um…” She sniffed again, curling tighter into me. “I didn’t even think about it, I just picked him up and ran here.”

Kim leaned forward and tucked her face into Trini’s hair. “We’re glad you’re ok, Trin.”

“Yeah,” Billy added, ceasing to play with his fidgeter. “I was really scared when you came in and screamed. I hate you being upset, I hate it I hate it.”

“Same here.” I murmured.

“Ditto to that,” Zack said to Trini’s boots.

Kim sighed, “Me too.”

Trini replied softly, “Yeah.”

Trini began playing with the zipper on my jacket, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyebrows drawing in together.

“Trini?” I asked. “Is there something else?”

She ducked her head down. “I just...I just keep thinking...is this, is this all for real?” She looked up at me, her eyes red and swollen from crying. “Is this,” She motioned to the five of us, “For real?”

Her voice was heavy with sadness. “I haven’t had anyone I considered a friend in a long time, and it’s been even longer since I’ve really trusted anybody. And ever since Rita, I’ve just been thinking about how much I love you all and trust you all and how much it would kill me if this went away.”

Trini’s shoulders started shaking. “I don’t want it to go away, I couldn’t take it, I just couldn’t.”

I pulled her in close to me, her hand latching back onto my jacket with new vigor, and I promised, “I am never going to go away, Trini, none of us are, you’re stuck with us.”

“Yeah, permanently.” Kim sniffed, pushing closer into Trini and I.

Billy put down his contraption. “Trini, you guys are my best friends, and I love you as much as I love my mom and-”

Billy jerked back, eyes widening. “Oh.”

I ignored the low swirl of fear at his reaction to whatever he was thinking. “Billy?”

His eyes met mine. “Jason, I love you guys as much as I love my mom.”

After a moment, Kim asked, “Is that bad?”

“Oh.” Billy considered it. “No.” A smile bloomed on his face, the brightness of it easing the dark tension in the room. “I just love you guys a whole lot. So I’m never leaving either. I mean,” Billy leaned forward, eyes bright, “You guys brought me back from the dead-”

I couldn’t help the full body flinch I made when he said that.

_He’s dead he’s dead he’s dead, Billy’s dead and it’s your fault your fault your fault._

“Jason?”

I flinched again, a hot flush of embarrassment flooding my chest and face. “I’m fine.”

Trini reached to grab one of my hands and interlaced our fingers. “No, you’re not.” She turned back to Billy. “And that’s the point, Billy. You, you, you died, and it was my fault.”

I squeezed her hip gently. “It was my fault, Trini, I forced him to go and-”

“No, you don’t understand.” Trini pushed away from me, sitting up. “She said it was my fault, she said it at the docks, I was the one who led you to your _death_ , Billy!”

She shivered and rubbed her hands on her arms, looking down at the floor as she continued, “She came into my room, she said things…”

Trini looked at me, eyes wide and scared. “She said awful things, and a part of me wants to believe they’re not true, but the rest of me knows that they are and I’m so fucking scared all the time because what happens when you prove her right and leave?!”

Trini was shaking violently, fresh tears spilling out over her cheeks. “I don’t wanna be alone again, I don’t, I don’t, I don’t.”

My heart in my throat, I asked, “Trini, look at me?”

She didn’t look at me, still shaking.

I begged, “Trini, please, look at me?”

As she did, she sniffled loudly and wiped at her nose with her sleeve before wrapping both of her arms tight around her body.

“Trini,” I started, “What did she tell you?”

Trini sniffed again, wiping tears away. “She um, she said that you weren’t really my friends and that you never would be. That I was an outsider, that I would always be an outsider.” Trini’s voice wavered. “She said I was like her.”

“Trini.” I locked eyes with her and promised as gravely as I could manage, “You are nothing like Rita. You’re sweet and feisty and tough as nails and you never listen to me in the training room or out of it and I love that you don’t because you’re my second and you’re so strong and capable of doing absolutely everything, but more than that, Trini,” I leaned in close to her and tucked her hair behind her ear. “You’re a good person. You’ve got a good heart and you stick to what you believe.”

I shove a hand through my hair. “Trini, without you there’d be no Rangers.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s not-”

“Yes, Trini, it is true.” I took a deep breath, “You’re part of this team, you’re part of us, you’re part of every one of us, and you’re part of me. We love you, Trini, and we would do anything for you, anything at all. You’re not just a friend or a fellow Ranger, you’re family, you’re our Trini.”

I swallowed hard. “I, I can’t explain it any better than that. But Rita’s wrong, she was so wrong, and I’m so sorry I wasn’t there to keep her away from you, but Trini you are not an outsider and I never want you to feel that way.”

Billy, Zack, and Kim all murmured their agreement.

Trini’s behavior following Rita suddenly made more sense, the way she sometimes pulled away without warning or refused to join in with us when we all hung out after training. The way she’d sometimes just shut down completely.

“Ok.” Trini sniffed, wiping away more tears. “Ok.” Then she shivered violently and returned to her previous position.

I tucked her in close to myself. “We love you, Trini.”

Kim leaned into Trini and whispered, “I’m so sorry Trini.”

We were all silent for a while, nothing to be heard but the hum of the ship and the tinkering Billy was doing on his contraption.

Zack shifted in his seat and cleared his throat. “Actually, um.” He shifted again, tangling his fingers in the laces of Trini’s boots. “That’s kinda something I’ve been feeling too.”

He looked up at us, his body hunched in on himself. “Not quite like that, but um, I just sort of feel out of place?”

Zack tightened Trini’s shoelaces back up. “I know that in the beginning, I was a cocky dick, and to be fair I kind of am a cocky dick, but I…” Zack took a deep breath and locked eyes with me. “The Zord incident. You know, the day Billy morphed for the first time.”

I nodded, remembering all too well the burning anger I’d felt.

Drilling his fingers on the toes of Trini’s boots, Zack continued, “I did it because it’s what I do. I’m so scared all the time when I’m at home because I love my mom, I love her so much, but she gets worse and worse every day and I can’t fix it, and so sometimes I feel like I need something, anything, to take my mind off of it. Even before I was a Ranger I’d do all kinds of dumb shit around town, trying to feel alive.”

Zack wiped at his mouth and cleared his throat. “And what’s worse is, when I first became a Ranger, I kept expecting it to be a dream. I mean, I’d been living mostly by myself for so long, and not to get too mushy about it, but I desperately wanted someone, anyone, that I could talk to and have my back and vice versa, and then, like a goddamn miracle, there you were.”

Zack was crying too, now, his voice trembling, “And it was too good to be true, because look at you guys.” He motioned to us all. “You’re incredible, you’re strong and beautiful and so goddamn capable and I,” Zack closed his eyes. “I’m not.”

“Yes, you are!”

Kim, Billy, Trini and I insisted at the same time.

Kim huffed wetly, “Oh come here right now.” And reached over to grab Zack’s hands and tug him across my legs so his head and his chest were in her lap.

Zack shuddered with relief and turned so he was curled sort of around Trini, his knees under hers and his face pressed into Kim’s thigh. I ignored the instant deadening of my leg from both his butt and Trini’s and hooked one of my fingers into his belt loop, and Billy scooted over to Zack’s vacated spot, his eyes wide and uncertain.

“Jason, is it ok if I sit here?” Billy’s contraption lay forgotten off to the side as he hovered near me.

I nodded quickly. “Yeah, that’s perfect, actually.”

“Ok cool.” Billy sat down and then froze. “Wait why?”

I didn’t let myself lean into him, knowing full well if he wanted contact he would initiate it. “One of those times where we need to ‘share a space’ as Zordon says.”

Zordon had been all too enthusiastic about bonding opportunities for us, and I knew that he was probably listening in now, or talking with Alpha 5 behind the closed doors of the med room.

Billy only nodded, satisfied with my answer. “Ok, cool.”

Kim, running her fingers through Zack’s hair, insisted, “Zack, it’s just the same for you as it is with Trini, without you, there’d be no Rangers.” 

I managed through the tightness of my throat, “Zack, we love you and if anything happened to you…”

Zack curled in tighter to Kim, and one of my hands found his and squeezed. "You're our Zack, and you're our Black Ranger, but you're more than either of those things and I'm so sorry that I can't explain it better than that, but you have to believe that we wouldn't be here without you either."

Trini nodded against my skin, her voice heavy, "You're my brother, Zack."

"Mine too," Billy added.

“You know why I tried to pilot the Zord?” Zack asked. “I wanted to feel like I was really a part of this. I know I have a coin and a Zord and the armor but sometimes I feel like a fifth wheel or something. Just completely unnecessary.”

I squeezed Zack’s hand tighter. “You’re not unnecessary, Zack, you’re a required part of this team. You’re what keeps us laughing and from being morose assholes all the time, and you keep me in my place.”

I leaned my head back against the wall. “I’m gonna be honest, I don’t think I could be a Ranger, much less the leader or whatever, unless you were here. I love you, man, we all do, so fucking goddamn much, and I’m not sure how to make this better.”

Silence hung in the air for a few moments, until Zack sniffed, “Honestly, this is pretty nice.”

Kim laughed softly, still dragging her fingers through his hair. “So the takeaway here today is that we all love each other a lot, like a lot, and we’re Rangers because we’re doing it together.”

I turned my head to smile at her. “Works for me.”

“Me too,” Trini mumbled into my shirt.

“Me three.” Zack sighed.

I looked over at Billy, who was frowning at his hands. “Billy?”

“Jason, I think we should do this more often,” Billy said, looking up and ensnaring my gaze with those big amber eyes. “I mean, we love each other but we’re not that great at communication a lot of the times according to Alpha 5 and I feel like this was good for us. In the way that like pulling a thorn out of you toe is good for you but it kind of hurts. Not that being around any of you hurts, because actually, it makes everything better when I'm around you guys. You guys are like the world to me. You know?”

Billy’s eyes were soft, and I swore I’d never seen kindness like what was in his eyes anywhere before. I smiled at him and remembered how everything he touched he made flawless. I shoved away the voice in my head saying, _you love him you love him you love him you love him_.

“Yeah, Billy. I agree.”

Zack shifted and his hip bone pierced into my leg.

I yowled, “Ouch! Ugh, let’s do this again but literally almost anywhere but on the cold hard floor of the ship. Zack, your hips are really sharp.”

“My bad, J, sorry.”

The doors to the med room slid open, and all five of us tensed.

Alpha 5 walked through, empty handed, and I felt my stomach turn to lead.

Billy gulped. “Alpha 5, what-”

A loud bark came from inside the med room and Trini bolted up into a standing position. “He’s ok!”

“Uh, actually, she’s ok. The dog is a female.” Alpha 5 corrected.

The dog in question trotted through the door, her whole body wagging and looking as good as new and Trini dropped down to pet her. "Thank you, Alpha!"

My mouth dropped open.

Zack whispered, “Woah, that’s so cool.”

Kim laughed in surprise.

Billy asked, “Um, how come the dog gets fully healed but we don’t? Have you always been able to do that?”

“Oh yes!” Alpha 5 chirped. “But Zordon insists that you feel your injuries from training so that you remember your mistakes and do not repeat them.”

Sighing loudly, Zack drawled, “I would object to that, but I’m exhausted.”

Zordon’s voice came out of the ceiling. “You would not be able to object, as it clearly works.”

“Whatever.”

The rest of us stood up and one by one introduced ourselves to the dog. She was pretty, her coat an even grey all around, even if it was shaggy and somewhat unkempt, and she was wriggling with joy at all the attention. If such a thing was possible, it seemed to me that she had a sweet face.

“So we’re keeping her, right?” I asked, scratching the dog behind her ears.

Billy gasped. “Jason, can we? I love dogs!”

I laughed. “I mean yeah it’s alright with me, I think we can figure out a way to keep her. A rotation or something, maybe.”

"Well actually," Zack looked up at us with the soft look on his face that he always got when talking about his mom, "She could probably stay with my mom and me. She'd be good company for her while I'm at school. And then I could bring her up here when we're all meeting up."

Trini, still wrapped around the dog, smiled. "Sounds like a plan, Zack."

Billy clapped quickly three times, and I smiled at him.

Zack cocked his head at the dog. “Well, in that case, we’re gonna need to name her.”

Trini scoffed. “I’ve been calling her dog, that works fine.”

Kim put a hand to her chest, actually looking distressed. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

Trini only raised an eyebrow.

“Trini,” I laughed, “We’ve got to actually name her.”

“I’ve got it!” Zack held up his hands, grinning. “Shiloh.”

Everyone, even Zordon made a noise of disagreement.

"Too mainstream," I frowned.

Kim considered the dog for a moment before offering, “Peaches?”

Another chorus of no’s and Zack asked, “Why would you name a dog Peaches?”

Kim hit him gently on his shoulder.

Alpha 5 hummed. “Well, we could always name her after one of the Rangers on Zor-”

A louder chorus of no’s interrupted the robot.

I screwed up my face. “You can’t name a dog after someone who’s dead.”

Billy perked up. “Guys, what about Zuzu?”

Alpha 5 threw their hands up in the air. “Oh for the love of God.”

Zordon announced primly, “I think it’s a fine name.”

Grinning widely at Kim and I, Zack agreed, “Yeah, dude, why not?”

Trini rolled her eyes. “It’s not horrible.”

Kim and I looked at each other and she shrugged. “Zuzu’s actually kind of cute.”

Billy looked at me. “Jason, what do you think?”

“I love it,” I answered immediately, not one ounce of hesitation in my voice.

It was a cute enough name, but Billy being the one to suggest it had definitely sealed the deal.

Billy clapped quickly three times and singsonged, “This is awesome, we have a dog named Zuzu!”

Alpha 5 knocked their head against a wall and threw up their hands, yelling, “Zuzu _is_ the name of someone who’s dead!”

“Oh, so now you admit that Zuzu was a pet.” Came Zordon's quick reply.

Trini looked up. “Wait a minute, what?”

I waved my hand at her as Zordon and Alpha 5 continued bickering. “Oh, it’s nothing. Just let them argue about it long enough and we don’t have to train today.”

Trini shrugged and smiled. “Easy enough.”

We all sat down on the floor in a circle and let the newly christened Zuzu make her way around to each of us, one at a time.

Billy, who was sitting next to me, looked over at me and stared, frowning as he searched my face for something.

Just as I was about to ask him what was wrong, his face cleared and he smiled, holding out his hand.

“Jason, can you hold my hand like you did with Trini and Zack?”

My heart leaped in my chest and I was well aware of the blush on my face. “Yeah, Billy, sure.”

I took his hand in my and ignored the shock of awareness that it roused in me, simply lacing our fingers together and rubbing circles on the back of his hand with my thumb.

Billy smiled at me, eye bright. “Awesome, thank you, Jason.”

“Anytime, Billy.”

**Author's Note:**

> This is also posted on my Tumblr countessklair under my Power Rangers fic tag ColorPowerSquad. Please go check out kinofthetrees on Tumblr, she's amazing!


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